Spinach Gnocchi Recipes

SPINACH GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake potatoes until tender, about an hour. Immediately split them open to let the steam escape. When you can handle the potatoes, scoop out their flesh.
• While the potatoes bake, roughly chop the spinach. Put the oil in a small skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the spinach, season to taste, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and wilted, about 5 minutes. Rinse under cold water and squeeze dry. Transfer to a food processor and purée until smooth.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Pass potato flesh through a ricer or food mill, stir in the spinach purée, and season to taste. Sprinkle 1/4 cup flour on a clean counter or cutting board, and knead the potatoes with it, sprinkling in the remaining 1/2 cup flour, until the dough just comes together. Pinch off a piece of the dough, and boil it to make sure it will hold its shape. If it does not, knead in a bit more flour (no more than necessary), and try again; the gnocchi will float to the top and look a little raggedy when ready.
• Roll a piece of the dough into a rope about 1/2-inch thick, then cut the rope into 1/2-inch lengths. Score each piece by rolling it along the tines of a fork; as each piece is ready, put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper; do not allow the gnocchi to touch one another.
• Add the gnocchi to the boiling water a few at a time, and gently stir; adjust the heat so the mixture doesn't boil too vigorously. A few seconds after they rise to the surface, the gnocchi are done; remove them with a slotted spoon or mesh strainer, and finish with any of the following sauces: Tomato Sauce: Cook a small chopped onion in olive oil until soft. Add minced garlic, 3 to 4 cups of chopped tomatoes, canned or fresh, and salt and pepper. Cook at a steady bubble until ''saucy.'' If the sauce becomes too thick, add a splash of the gnocchi cooking water before serving. Garnish with torn basil and/or grated Parmesan. Brown Butter, Sage, and Parmesan: Put 4 tablespoons butter and a handful of fresh sage leaves (40 wouldn't be too many) in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until the butter is light brown and the sage is sizzling, about 3 minutes. Toss with the gnocchi, some of their cooking water and loads of grated Parmesan. Olive Oil and Garlic: Put at least a tablespoon of minced garlic in a puddle of olive oil, along with (optional) red-pepper flakes and/or chopped anchovies. Cook until the garlic just turns golden (but no more than that). Toss with the gnocchi, some of their cooking water and plenty of chopped parsley. Bacon and Cream: Cook some chopped bacon, prosciutto or pancetta in a bit of olive oil over medium-low heat until nearly crisp. Stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream and a lot of pepper. Let the cream thicken slightly before adding the gnocchi.

SPINACH GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 400 degree F. Using a fork, pierce the potatoes all around and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender in the center.
• Once out of the oven, let the potatoes cool until you can handle them. Scoop the potatoes out of the skins and place into a potato ricer (THIS thing). If you don't have a ricer, then mash the potatoes with a fork until well combined and broken down. Let sit to cool.
• In a medium pot, boil water. Place the spinach into boil for 3 minutes. Drain and place the spinach in a food processor or high speed blender and blend until pureed. If needed, add a splash of water in to help the spinach blend.
• Once the potatoes are completely cooled, pour half of the pureed spinach onto the riced potatoes. Pour the flour and all of the salt on top of the spinach. Using a fork or your hands, mix it all together. Add in a bit more spinach, a few tablespoons at a time, until it is all added. The finished dough should resemble cookie dough that's just slightly sticky but easy to handle. If it's too sticky, add a bit more flour.
• Once fully combined, roll the dough into a ball and cut it into eight even pieces. Roll each piece into a long log that's about 1/2 an inch thick. Cut the gnocchi into 1 inch pieces. Gently toss each piece into flour to ensure that it's dry and not sticky at any edges. Continue until you've cut out pieces from all of the dough.
• Optional: using a gnocchi board or fork, press grooves into each piece of gnocchi.
• The gnocchi can be stored in the fridge for 3 days, the freeze for a few weeks, or cooked right away.

BAKED MUSHROOM, SPINACH, AND CHICKEN GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook until starting to soften, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate or bowl. Wipe out skillet.
• Melt butter in the same skillet. Whisk in flour until a paste forms, about 3 minutes. Whisk in milk and broth until smooth. Simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and nutmeg. Add mushrooms, chicken, gnocchi, and spinach to the sauce. Stir until gnocchi are coated and spinach wilts, about 3 minutes.
• Pour mixture into a large baking dish. Sprinkle liberally with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, about 20 minutes.

SPINACH & RICOTTA GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Boil the kettle. Place the spinach in a large bowl and pour boiling water over it. Leave for 2 mins until wilted, then drain thoroughly. Leave to cool, then wrap a clean tea towel around the spinach. Hold it over the sink and squeeze out as much water as possible. Finely chop.
• Place the spinach, parsley, garlic, ricotta, flour, eggs, cheese and a generous grating of nutmeg into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Use a fork to stir very thoroughly until everything is completely mixed. Using wet hands, form the mixture into walnut-size balls. Place on a large plate or tray and refrigerate for at least 30 mins.
• When ready to cook, heat the oven to warm and bring a large pan of water to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and drop in batches of about 8-10 gnocchi at a time. They will sink to the bottom, and when they rise to the top give them about 1 min more, then remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm while you cook the rest. Serve the gnocchi on warm plates drizzled with olive oil and scattered with rocket and more cheese.

SPINACH GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Defrost the brick of frozen spinach (you can also do this in the microwave).
• Squeeze ALL (and I mean ALL) of the water out of the spinach in small handfuls (I use my hands and do it over a bowl to make sure I don't lose any spinach).
• Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse. You want to make sure the spinach is in tiny pieces and the mixture is thoroughly combined.
• Dust your hands with a little flour so the mixture doesn't stick to your hands.
• Take 1 teaspoon of the spinach mixture and roll into tiny balls. Place on a plate covered with waxed paper or parchment.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil for cooking the gnocchi.
• Add the gnocchi to the water in batches and cook for 3 minutes or until they rise to the surface.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the gnocchi to a plate or bowl.
• Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, cool and serve.
• To Freeze: After step 5, place on sheet tray and freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to a ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, thaw to room temperature and follow steps 6-9.

GNOCCHI WITH CREAMY TOMATO & SPINACH SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Fry the garlic until golden, then add the tomatoes. Season, then simmer for 10 mins. Stir in mascarpone, then cook for 2 mins more.
• Meanwhile, boil the gnocchi according to pack instructions. Add the spinach for the final min of cooking. Drain well, pour back into the pan, then stir the sauce through. Mix well and serve immediately with basil leaves and Parmesan shavings scattered over, if you like.

SPINACH GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Blanch the spinach for no more than 20 seconds in salted boiling water. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop fine.
• Heat the butter or olive oil over medium heat in a heavy saucepan and add the spinach, salt (remembering that you will be adding Parmesan, which is salty), pepper, ricotta and flour. Stir together and let the mixture sizzle while you stir constantly for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and beat in the eggs, nutmeg and Parmesan. The mixture should be stiff. Transfer to a bowl, cover well and refrigerate for 2 hours or longer.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment and dust generously with flour. Remove the gnocchi mixture from the refrigerator. There are a few ways to form the gnocchi. You can scoop out small balls by the rounded teaspoon and place on the parchment (they will be sticky so use another spoon to scrape them out of the measuring spoon), or you can divide the dough into 4 pieces and on a floured surface, with lightly floured hands, gently roll each piece into a coil about 3/4 inch wide. Cut into 1-inch pieces and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Alternatively, place the mixture in a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8 inch round tip and pipe 1-inch blobs onto the parchment. Don't worry if the dough is sticky.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Meanwhile heat the tomato sauce in a saucepan. Adjust the heat under the water so that it is boiling gently and drop in the gnocchi, about 10 at a time. If they stick to the parchment or your hands lightly flour your fingers and sprinkle a little flour over the gnocchi. Once they float to the top simmer for 4 minutes, then move them to the pan of sauce with a slotted spoon. Serve with the sauce and additional Parmesan to taste.

SPINACH GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a pot with the water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes at a strong simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain the water from the pot and let the potatoes cool for only a few minutes before you begin to pull the skins from the potatoes. Discard the potato skins and, while still hot, pass the potatoes through a ricer into a bowl.
• To the riced potatoes add the spinach and mix well.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, and incorporate well.
• Add the flour in two stages so that only the amount that is necessary will be used to bind the potato. Add the second half of the flour (and have some additional flour available if necessary) and mix well to form a dough.
• Divide the dough in half, and on a floured work surface, roll the first half of dough into a log 1-inch thick. Cut the log into 1/2-inch thick round pieces.
• Lay the pieces out, and the back of a fork or your thumb, make an indentation on one side.
• Set aside and refrigerate until needed.
• Cook as you would pasta in several quarts of boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds. They cook very quickly and are cooked when they float to the surface.
• Heat the butter in a saucepan, add the poppy seeds and pour over the gnocchi in a large serving bowl.

SKILLET GNOCCHI WITH SPINACH & WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.
• Add the remaining oil and onion the pan and cook over medium heat for about 7 to 10 minutes, till soft and lightly caramelized. Stir in garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the spinach, tomatoes, beans, pepper to the onions and garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in gnocchi and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover just till cheese melts about 1 minute.
• *optional version* Add reaming oil and onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook until the onion is soft about 4 minutes.

GNOCCHI WITH SPINACH AND CHICKEN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook sausage and shallots until sausage is browned and shallots are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer., Stir in wine. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half, 3-4 minutes. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and broth until smooth; stir into sausage mixture. Return to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Add spinach and cream; cook and stir until spinach is wilted., Drain gnocchi; add to pan and heat through. Sprinkle with cheese.

GNOCCHI WITH SPINACH AND GARLIC

Steps:

• In frying pan, heat oil and saute garlic over medium heat until slightly cooked.
• Add spinach and saute, cooking about 10 minutes until spinach is heated through, stirring occasionally.
• Add pasta sauce and seasoning if desired to spinach and garlic and heat through, stirring occasionally.
• Cook gnocci in boiling water about 4 minutes or according to package directions and drain.
• Serve sauce over gnocci.
• NOTE: You can use as much or as little pasta sauce in the spinach mixture as you'd like according to taste.

MUSHROOM SPINACH GNOCCHI WITH CREAMY BOURSIN SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook gnocchi in the boiling water until they float to the top, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Reduce heat, and pour in cream.
• Scoop out 3/4 cup of pasta cooking water and set aside. Place spinach in the bottom of a colander and drain the gnocchi over the spinach to wilt it.
• Stir cheese into the skillet and add reserved cooking water; keep stirring until cheese is melted.
• Add gnocchi and wilted spinach to the skillet and stir until well combined. Serve immediately.

SAUSAGE, SPINACH AND GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Cook gnocchi according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat; cook sausage 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking up sausage into crumbles. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Add spinach and tomatoes; cook and stir just until spinach is wilted., Stir in gnocchi and spaghetti sauce; heat through. Freeze option: Freeze cooled gnocchi mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a skillet, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if necessary.